Speaker Biographies:
Jennie Eldredge (pictured) is the Manager of Smyrna History Museum on Atlanta Road. Mary Wallace Moore is the Director of Smyrna Public Library. They are the authors of Smyrna, Georgia: "The Jonquil City": Celebrating 150 Years.
The Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.
At the Monday, March 11, 2024, Smyrna City Council
meeting, a proclamation was presented in recognition of Women’s History Month.
It was accepted by Smyrna Public Library Director, Mary Wallace Moore.
Pictured: Left to right are Councilmember
Latonia P. Hines – Ward 2, Mary W. Moore - Smyrna Library Director,
Councilmember Susan Wilkinson – Ward 5 and Mayor Derek Norton.
Display Gallery exhibits are organized by the Friends of
Smyrna Library.
Artist Statement:
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the Atlanta College
of Art in 1990 (now the Savannah College of Art and Design).
Studied to become an Art Educator at Georgia State
University where she was an Honors student.
As a sculptor, she produced work for the movie
"Freejack", with Mick Jagger and Emilio Estevez, created the Pinwheel
Project at Tula Art Foundation in Buckhead, a featured artist on the program
"Artage" for the City of Atlanta, and had works featured at ABC No
Rio in New York and drawings in the Gorilla Girl Movement in Chicago.
Several of her bowls were featured in the HGTV Green Home in
2012. Demonstrated at several Woodturning Symposiums: Southern States
Woodturning in Cartersville, Georgia, Turning Southern Style, Dalton, Georgia,
The Florida Woodturning Symposium, and 2016 AAW Symposium in Atlanta. Ms.
Schmid has been an instructor on several occasions at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg
and is a frequent instructor at The Florida School of Woodwork.
She conducts woodturning retreats for women to help advance
their skill levels and create a sense of community among women makers. She also
is a demonstrator at many of the woodturning clubs in the Southeast.
Ms. Schmid has served as the President of the Georgia
Association of Woodturners in Atlanta and was the Secretary Treasurer of Apple
Ridge Woodturners in Ellijay Georgia. She is currently a member of the Etowah
River Woodturners in Canton Georgia.
She has won awards both as an artist, sculptor, and
woodturner and her works are in private and corporate collections throughout
the country.
Art Gallery exhibits are organized by the Friends of Smyrna
Library.
Artist Statement:
Hailing from the heart of south Georgia, Max Oliver emerges
as a captivating multimedia artist whose creative journey has been marked by a
profound exploration of diverse mediums and styles. With a recent graduation
from Kennesaw State University, where he earned a bachelors degree in fine art
with a focused emphasis on painting and drawing, Max’s artistic narrative
unfolds as an intricate tapestry of innovation and expression.
He specializes in oil paint, although his work is wide ranging in subject matter with use of varying media from digital to traditional charcoal drawings, watercolor, acrylic and oil paints. Much of his recent work consists of commissioned oil portraiture, pets, and still-life paintings.
His style leans more toward a dark realism with heavy influences from classical luminist painters. This style illustrates themes of a fantastical exploration from a crisp, firm depiction of the way things are, into a whimsical, curious world of what could be. This evolution from strict to playful could be more aptly characterized as dark humor.
His background consists of assisting in several mural projects for local schools, businesses, and restaurants, three submissions to the Spring into Art Festival at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, GA, two pieces to the Highlands Art Festival in Highlands, NC, donations to local auctions and charities in Valdosta and Atlanta, seven submissions to the Celestial Show at Phoenix and Dragon Bookstore in Sandy Springs, GA.,and three submissions to the Visions of Recovery art show for artists supporting addiction recovery at the Fine Art Gallery at Kennesaw State University.
The workshop introduced the techniques, materials, and vocabulary of watercolor painting. It focused on getting comfortable with watercolor painting techniques and enjoying the process of painting.
Ms. Redmond worked on a painting inspired by Georgia O’Keefe. As an artist at the forefront of American Modernism, Georgia O’Keefe is one of the most celebrated female artists in history and her early drawings led to bold experiments in abstraction with a focus to express her feelings.
Instructor Biography:
Abby Taylor Redmond studied art at O'More College of Art and Design and graduated with a BFA from the prestigious Parsons School of Design. She spent the first part of her career as a costume designer and design assistant. Since moving to Smyrna, Abby has focused on watercolor paintings and has worked as an art teacher to children of all ages, starting her own business Art With Ms. Abby, and for adults with her program Shake n' Create.
